


Holding A Grudge

by orphan_account



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Mayburn is an Asshat You can't Change my Mind, Other, Putting Piper Through Hell, Sexual Abuse, Verbal Abuse, you were warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22934815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: (Title sucks, wanted to take a crack at something long than one chapter)Mayburn wants revenge on the girl who got him kicked out of his old settlement, and when Piper disappears in the night, and Nat gets Nora to help find her.
Relationships: Female Sole Survivor & Piper Wright, Piper Wright & Nat Wright
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 & 2 were both finished so take both.

“Piperr! I’m hooome!” Nat Wright shouted, carelessly swinging the door to the “office“ open then closed again.

“Home a little too late if you ask me!” Piper responded from the loft, sitting at her desk. She leaned back, watching her younger sister climb the latter. “I thought I said get home before dark.”

“You did. I just didn’t listen.” The fourteen year old snickered, leaning over Piper’s shoulder to stare at the mess of papers on her big sister’s desk. “What’cha workin’ on? Need any help?”

“Ah, I caught wind of a raider hideout just North of here. They’ve been ambushing mostly girls and women. Nothing too serious, just a lot of robbing. Still, it seems like something to warn people about, right?” Piper smiled, turning her attention back to the article. Nat took a guess that it was a first draft, from the amount of crossed out words and notes. Judging from the overflowing trash can, though, it was just as possible this was the seventh. “If nothing else, it’ll make people more cautious.”

Nat shifted a little. “You don’t remember the last time you outed a group of raiders?” Not that she was against the warning, but it’d be a lie to say she didn’t have a little concern. Someone had to, after all, and Piper wasn’t really known for her common sense. It worried Nat, more than she’d care to admit, but nobody knew what was best for Piper except Piper.

The older of the two shrugged. “I got a little beat up, it happens a lot, kiddo. You know that. Doesn’t matter if it’s raiders or fifty foot Mirlurk.” Piper smiled, and Nat already knew she wasn’t going to win this. She never did.

“You almost got shot, Piper.”

“I almost get shot every time I step outside.”

“That’s not a good thing….” Nat shifted again. “You’re going to get killed.”

The older sister paused, as if that had never occurred to her before. Piper let her arms fall into her lap, and stayed eerily quiet for a while. That was something that always freaked out Nat, the long moments of pause Piper would take to think about something. Then, she leaned back in the chair and gave her little sister the same smile she had a minute ago. “You’re sweet, Natty.” She playfully pinched her sister’s cheek, who promptly smacked her hand away. “But don’t worry about me. I’m the big sister, I should be worried over you.” She stated that as if she wasn’t worried for Nat all the time. “Speaking of, where were you?” She seated herself so she could face Nat without breaking her neck. “Out with your boyfriend Kowalski?”

“Ew!!” Nat’s cheeks tinted pink for a moment. “No!”

“Learning the basics of-oh what is it again? Purifying water? Must have been romantic.” The journalist smirked.

She covered her face with her hands. “Shut up, Piper!”

“Or were you just trying to catch him before he went to class? ‘Oh Sheng, just one kiss before I go!’” Piper mocked Nat’s voice. “‘Until next time, my love-’”

“I hate you so much!” Nat stomped her foot, then turned tail and rushed downstairs to her “room”. Really just part of the main building that had been sectioned off with a few cinder blocks. There was no privacy, not in the Wright house. She could still hear Piper losing it like she had told the best joke the Commonwealth had ever known. “Shut uuuuup!” The younger sister yelled, throwing her pillow over her face.

“You can’t hide from the truuuuth!” Piper sung from the loft. Nat gave a frustrated scream into her pillow, then collapsed onto her bedroll.

She could still hear Piper snickering half an hour later when she finally got to sleep.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Piper was a journalist. Not the best journalist, but a journalist nonetheless, and she was happy getting death threats and poisoned now and then if it meant she could protect any innocents. Raiders had been a problem her whole life, they were everywhere, and harassed everyone who came within five feet of their camps. In her early years she could remember her dad's constant patrolling for the bastards. He was keeping people safe, and she wanted to do that too.

Only, she wanted to live past forty-five.

“Hmm, sorry dad….” Piper sighed, resting her head on her hand. It was almost three in the morning by this point, and she had given up on sleep, or writing for that matter. How hard was it to write a piece on a group of thugs? She groaned, pulling herself out from the chair. She didn’t know where she wanted to go, but the office felt stuffy and she couldn’t think. Maybe what Nat said was getting to her.

‘You’re gonna get killed’

She quietly opened the front door, stepped out, then gently shut it. “No shit, kiddo.” She snorted to herself, pulling out a cigarette and a match. “Nothin’ like cancer in your lungs to clear your mind.” The journalist muttered, striking the match on her boot and lighting up her cig. She silently made her way towards the exit into the Commonwealth. Any other day she would have dragged herself up to the top of the bleachers, but she didn’t feel like reflecting on her choices at the moment. Still, if Nat saw her she’d be given hell, so just outside the gate it was.

That sounded almost storybook-esque, didn’t it? The little sister busting the big sister for something so mundane. Part of her wondered if all siblings were nosy, or if Nat had just inherited the gene as Piper had. Courtesy of dear old dad, of course. What about two hundred years ago? She wondered if Nora had any brothers or sisters, but she knew it was one of those ‘don’t ask me please’ questions. Blue didn’t like talking about her personal life from before, and Piper could respect that. Even if her curiosity begged her otherwise.

The first thing she noticed when she was leaving the city, was that Danny was gone. In fact, no guards seemed to be there, and the gate was half way open. A rare but not unheard of scenario, usually it only happened when the guards were short a few men. Or back in the day when every other guard and their mother was either corrupt or lazy. Piper liked to think it was the former, but at three thirty in the morning she could have cared less. At least nobody was going to bitch at her for wanting out at such an ungodly hour.

So, out into the Commonwealth she went. “What’s the worst that could happen?”  
\-------------------------------------------  
Quiet.

That should have been the first indicator that something was wrong in the Wright household. When Nat woke up at six and didn’t hear Piper typing, or writing, or talking to herself, she figured maybe her big sister had gone to trade some things with Percy, before the market got busy and she’d have to deal with Myrna. By seven, the teen had made herself, and her sister, some noodles, but Piper wasn’t back yet and that’s what got her worried. Sure, Piper left whenever she felt like but she always left a note. At eight, she decided to start asking if anyone had seen her, and when nine came around she was knocking on Nora’s door. She didn’t know why she hadn’t started there to begin with.

“Hey, sweetie.” Nora stated as she opened the door.

If Nat had to describe Nora, she would place her in the category of “Middle aged cool mom”, even though the vault dweller was only thirty-two. She had the look of someone who’d gone to hell and came back unscathed but still suffered nightmares. Maybe she did, Nat didn’t really know. She was always left out of conversations like that. Still, she liked Nora, she was probably the one person in the city Nat could talk to besides Piper.

Right, Piper. That’s why she was here.

“Have you seen my sister?” Nat questioned, picking at the hem of her coat sleeve. Another loose thread.

“Mmm, not since yesterday.” The woman admitted, eyebrow raised. “Is everything okay? Are you hurt? I can-”

“No! No, no.” The young girl shook her head. “I mean, yes. Maybe. I’m fine. She just… she wasn’t home when I got up. And she still hasn’t come home. And nobody’s seen her. And I know she does this sometimes but I… I have this feeling that something’s wrong. I just want to know where she is.”

Nora nodded slowly, crossing her arms. “Piper does… stupid things sometimes, Nat. Maybe she went to the Dugout an-”

“I asked Vadim, he hasn’t seen her in a week.”

“Okay, well, she could be… Hm…” Nora had to think. Where would Piper go? She wouldn’t have just walked off into the Wasteland without telling… somebody. Would she? “What was she doing last time you talked to her?”

Nat scratched her head. “Writing something on a raider group…” A look of realization crossed Nat’s face, and it was quickly replaced with panic. “Piper got taken by raiders.”

The vault dweller bit her lower lip. “We don’t know that-”

“Where else would she be?!” The teen yelled, tears coming to her eyes. “Nobody’s seen her all morning, nobody saw her leave, it’s the only thing that makes sense! We have to go save her, they’ll kill her, I-”

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, kiddo.” Nora knelt down, putting her hands on Nat’s shoulders. She let the girl calm herself into more of a sniffling mess. “First, we have to make sure that’s what happened. Then we can deal with whatever comes next. Okay?”

Nat sniffed, wiped her nose on her coat sleeve, then nodded.

“Okay. Now, let me take a look at what she was writing.”


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Piper could feel when she started coming to, was that it was cold. Very cold. That was odd, right? She may have slept without blankets, but she had never woken up freezing before. Whatever surface she was laying on was just as bad, and solid as a brick. Definitely not her bed. Okay, she had woken up in weird places before. It wasn’t until she rolled over and stretched her legs out did she feel bars. Steel bars. That was never good.

She jumped at the feeling of cold metal hitting her feet, and that proved to be a mistake because she was instantly dizzy. Her vision momentarily doubled, and her mind flooded with questions. Where was she? How had she gotten here? Why was she sore in eighty percent of her body? Why the cage? She couldn’t even stand in it properly, it was either on her knees or sitting. Both were uncomfortable considering she was, in fact, on a concrete floor. The room she was in didn’t seem that big, either. The only furniture she could see was a folding chair, and any other items besides the cage she was in seemed to be removed or looted for one reason or another. Piper sighed, pulled her knees to her chest, and looked down at herself. A new question sparked.

Why was she half naked?

The door opened, and her head shot up. “Look who’s awake. Diamond City’s best nosy little snitch.”

Piper glared and pulled her knees tightly against herself. “Mayburn.” She stated. Maybe she should have been more shocked to see him, but she was honestly just sore and pissed. “I thought you tucked tail and ran off to New Vegas.” She huffed.

“Oh, I couldn’t leave without paying the girl who ruined my life a visit, now could I?” As he walked over, Piper wanted nothing more than to vanish. She wasn’t scared of Mayburn, or if she was she sure as hell wasn’t going to show it, but the man was mostly muscles, and strength was not one of Piper’s best abilities. She could go hand to hand with the odd raider, but an ex military captain? She’d be dead in a minute. He knelt down in front of her cage, and the journalist pressed her back against the opposite side. So many alarms were going off in her head, and she suddenly wished she hadn’t gone out.

“Since you got me chased out of that shitshow of a settlement I’ve had a hard time, Piper. I mean, look at me. Hold out in an abandoned house, not a cap to my name-”

“You deserve all of it.” Piper spat. “I don’t give a shit about your sob story, asshole.”

Mayburn slammed his hand off the cage, causing the reporter to jump in place again. “If you don’t shut up I’m gonna-”

“Mayburn!”

“What?!” The military man shouted, whipping his head around to face a new raider who had stuck his head in.

“The boys caught sight of a caravan! There’s enough food and meds to last us a month, we need you for this right now, man!”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine.” His head turned back to Piper. “I’ll be back, sweetheart.” Mayburn turned and shut the door behind him, once again leaving Piper alone in the room.

She felt dirty just letting him call her that.  
\-------------------------------------------  
They had spent the whole day looking through Piper’s notes, but between all the crossed out sentences, and side notes, it was hard to make out a real location. Just a general area, which was something, but not enough to go rushing out for no reason. So Nora came up with a different plan. If Dogmeat could get Kellog’s scent, why couldn’t they get him to track down Piper’s? If she was safe, at least they’d know where she was, and if she was being used as a hostage or something, then Dogmeat would lead them right to it.

“Nat are you positive you want to come with me?” Nora asked for probably the tenth time. “I can just get Nick, I’m sure he’d love to help.” She watched the teen shove a pocket knife in her bag. “The Commonwealth can be brutal, it’s not really a place for a young girl.” Or an old girl, if she was being honest with herself.

“If that were me Piper would come in a heartbeat.” Nat responded. “I’m not a baby. Piper was shooting at my age.”

Nora decided not to go down that hole. “Don’t compare yourself to Piper. You don’t have to come, you can sit tight with Ellie. You can stay safe. If Piper really is being held by raiders… they won’t hesitate to shoot, even you.”

It was quiet for a moment. Nat stood and faced Nora with a stern stare. “I’m not gonna sit back and wait to see if my sister is dead or not. I’m not scared,” That was a lie. “And I can handle myself. Just because I don’t have a gun doesn’t mean I’m defenseless.”

Nora sighed. Just as stubborn as her big sister. “Okay, okay. But while we’re out there I want you to stay close to me.” A pause. “And no heroics.”

“Heroics?”

“Nevermind.” Nora grabbed Piper’s press cap from the table, and held it out for Dogmeat to sniff. “Alright boy. Find Piper.”  
\-------------------------------------------  
Piper was back to laying on the concrete. Mayburn hadn’t come back yet, and she was starting to hope the caravan blew his head off. Wouldn’t that be lucky? But Piper wasn’t lucky. She had already been kidnapped and stripped of both her clothes (save for her underwear, thank God) and her weapons. She still didn’t know why he took her clothes and didn’t give them back. Maybe he thought it was some kind of weird power move. Or maybe his plans weren’t as straight forward as she thought they were. Maybe both.

The thought alone made her shiver.

Mayburn, in terms of appearance, wasn’t much different from what Piper remembered. Dark hair that was starting to grey in spots, trimmed beard, always dressed in his militant clothes. Stone-faced, a nasty scar on his cheek from who knows what. Piper couldn’t believe there was a time she trusted that man. He was disgusting. He was worse than Satan himself. He was selfish, and cruel, and a murderer, and a creep. She was glad Nat had never met him face to face.

The door opening caught her attention, but she didn’t get up, just turned her head expecting to see that ugly face. But it wasn’t him, it was a raider. A different one, carry a tray of barely edible looking food. He placed it just outside the cage so she’d be able to reach with her hands. No forks, or knives, or spoons. She made a face and scrunched her nose at the tray. The raider rolled his eyes.

“Eat it or don’t. That's all you get.” Was all he said to her before leaving the room.

Piper’s initial instinct told her that this was a set up. It was drugged. It had to be. Mayburn was going to drug her and do whatever he wanted with her. But her stomach was begging for something. She hadn’t eaten in nearly two days, by her own forgetfulness really. She hadn’t even noticed how hungry she was until some old bread and whatever mush that was was put in front of her.

She must have taken longer than she thought staring at the food, because Mayburn’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Not hungry?”

Piper snorted. “Not desperate.”

“Hm, you haven’t changed. Still a smartass..” He smirked, pulling the chair up so he could sit in front of her. “You’ve come a long way, all things considered. I figured you’d be dead.”

“Funny, I thought the same thing.”

“Ah, I love when they get feisty.”

“You’re disgusting.”

He laughed. “You ain’t exactly Mother Mary, kid. How many people did you have to fuck to afford that shitty little news office you live in?”

Piper opened her mouth, then closed it again, then sat up. “That’s not the same as perving on someone thirty years younger than you.”

“Ooh, I’m not judgin’, sweetheart. I think you have a real talent for it.”

“For… sex?” Piper raised an eyebrow, pulling her knees to her chest. She didn’t like any of this. The way he spoke was just a little too gentle. Like he wanted to coax her into a false sense of security.

“Of course. A girl like you? Could make a guy real happy.” Mayburn gave her the slightest smirk.

“What are you-” She cut herself off, then shuddered at the realization. “Oh.... Oh no. Fuck no.” Piper tried to stuff herself into the furthest corner away from him. She was not about to fuck this man for “fun”, she’d rather take on a Yao Guai with a switchblade.

“I’m afraid no isn’t an option. Unless you rather I pay sister dear a visit. Up to you, sweetie.”

The journalist paled as two more sudden realization hit her. Nat was probably freaking out, and Mayburn knew where they lived. How long had he known that? How long had this little plan of his taken? If he wanted them dead, why didn’t he do it when they were kids? Maybe this was recent. She didn’t know, she didn’t care. But she couldn’t let him near Nat. Not in this lifetime.

The reporter swallowed a lump in her throat and glanced around the room. Maybe she could make a last minute escape. But the only door was being blocked off by a man she had almost no way of fighting without a gun or weapon of some kind.

“Well, Piper?”

The journalist, not seeing much of a choice, sighed. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just leave my sister out of this.”

He grinned.

“Deal.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd be nice and give a content warning for rape at the start.  
> So y'know, if you don't wanna read that I'd skip Piper's chunk this chapter.

Nat hadn’t seen the outside of Diamond City since she was eight, maybe even younger. After Piper bought the house, or office, or whatever, she just didn’t let Nat go out with her anymore. It seemed unfair. Why did Piper get to explore, while Nat stayed home and handed out papers to people who didn’t really care? That being said, she held Nora’s hand for the first twenty minutes, and the noises that came from nowhere made her shiver. This place seemed a lot more fun when she was little.

Dogmeat barked, stopping in his track to sniff at a green striped scarf on the ground. He picked it up in his mouth and brought it over to Nora, who gave him a pat on the head and a “good boy”, before he was off on the trail again. It felt like they had been following him forever, but it was probably closer to two hours. The sun was setting, and Nat’s stomach was starting to complain about a lack of food. Nora gave her a box of Sugar Bombs to eat (radiation free thanks to Vault 81), and the teen was happy to eat half in one sitting before shoving it into her bag.

“Full? Cereal doesn’t do much for me.” Nora chuckled, trying her best to keep the mood light. Nat just shrugged in response. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

“Sorry.” Nat scratched her head. “I-uh… It’s weird being out here, I guess. I have these vague memories about it all, but… Not enough to really know anything. Feels like Deja Vu.”

The vault dweller nodded. “I’m sure.” She couldn’t imagine growing up in a place like this. But she didn’t imagine total nuclear war, either, so anything was possible. It still barely made sense to her when she thought about it. “You’re handling it well, though.”

Nat nodded, pulling on her jacket sleeve. “Thanks.” She turned her head when she thought she heard a branch snap behind them. Nothing. “But it’s still kind of creepy.”

“Believe me, I know. I still get scared walking around out here.” Nat glanced up at her, a little skeptical. “What?”

“You’re the bravest person I know.” The young girl smiled. Nora could own the Wasteland if she wanted. She was smart, fast, good with a weapon according to Piper, and a great negotiator. If Nat had things her way, she’d put Nora in charge of Diamond City. “I doubt you could get scared by what’s out here.”

Nora smiled. “Well thanks, Nat. But it’s true. Being brave doesn’t mean no fear.” She looked back over to Dogmeat. “Honestly, back in my time I never would have considered going on a rescue mission like this.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “We had police and various other people to call when that happened. Kind of like city guards, but a lot more of them and not quite as testy.” Not that they were always successful in these situations. She remember a good deal of news stories where the person was already dead by the time they found them. She also remembered when she worried that one day it was going to be Nate on that screen. Or her.

“So why are you doing it now?”

“Because Diamond City Security is shi-” Don’t swear in front of the kid, Nora. “uh-not very good at their job, and Mayor McDonough wouldn’t send help anyway. I think he’s still mad about the Synth article.” Even though that was months ago. Talk about holding a grudge. “And you know Piper. If she is captured she’s probably pissed them off five different ways already.” God, she hoped the journalist was smarter than that. “I can’t let her rot in some raider’s camp, I love her.”

“You love her?” Nat smiled, raising an eyebrow.

Nora stuttered for a moment, her cheeks turning red. “You know what I mean. I love her like I loved my best friend in high school.” She explained, and it wasn’t a total lie.

“Mhmm, if you say so.” Nat smiled, also turning her attention to the German Shepherd and shoving her hands in her pockets.

There was another long drag of silence, and the further into the Wasteland they went, the more confused Nat was getting. Wherever Dogmeat was taking them it was a much longer walk than she had anticipated, and the growing darkness was making her anxious. They were walking down the middle of a road, surrounded by towering buildings. The only real place to go in the event of danger was equally terrifying looking alleyways, or back the way they came. Suddenly, Dogmeat stopped in his tracks, and he snarled as his ears flattened against his head. Nora stopped as well, and held out a hand so Nat would do the same.

“What is it-”

“Shh…” The vault dweller hushed, and the young girl complied. Then the rubble moved, and Nora took out her gun. “Nat, stay behind me.” The teen shuffled ever so slightly closer to her protector.

Feral Ghouls sprung up from the debris, which earned a yelp from Nat. Dogmeat was on the first one he could get to, biting it on the leg and dragging it to the ground while Nora fired from their spot on the road. The vault dweller had been fed up with these things for a while now, they were everywhere, and they took so much fire power to go down. She should have brought a bigger gun. Meanwhile, Nat covered her ears from the gunfire, and turned her head just to lock eyes with a Roamer.

“Um, Nora…” She tugged on the woman’s shirt.

The brunette turned her head just in time to see the Roamer charge. She shoved Nat to the side and tried her best to fire at the same time, but it managed to tackle her down onto the pavement. Nora held it’s head away from her with one hand while the other desperately tried to find her weapon, which had skidded just too far out of reach. Of course it did, she let out a groan. Somewhere in the distance, Dogmeat gave a high pitched yelp, and Nat was digging through her bag.

Nat had never actually fought anything besides other kids before, and she sure as hell never had a hand in a life or death situation, but that wouldn’t stop her. She couldn’t let Nora die. Or Dogmeat. With her little pocket knife in hand, she took a few quick breaths, ran up to the Roamer, and stabbed it in the back of the neck. It didn’t do much, but it’s attention turned from Nora to her. That was all she needed, and she was quick to start running. It was right behind her.

“NAT-Oh shit!” Nora scrambled to her feet, grabbing her gun in the process. She glanced at Dogmeat, he was on the ground letting out pained whines as two Ghouls cornered him. “Fuck.” The vault dweller rushed to the pooch, quickly taking out the two already weakened Ferals. She knelt by the Shepherd and used a Stimpack on it. He gave another whine but was soon up and ready for more action. “Go help Nat! Now!” He was off in a second, and Nora was right with him. She hadn’t panicked this much since Shaun was taken.

Only this time she had a chance to save the child.

Nat had never ran so fast in her life. Her chest hurt, and her breathing was hard, but the stupid Ghoul was still chasing her. She couldn’t stop, she wasn’t going to die to something as stupid as a Feral Roamer. Especially not now. She could hear Dogmeant barking in the distance, that meant help was on its way. Which was good, because she suddenly tripped over her own feet and face planted into the asphalt. The teen flipped onto her back, using her elbows and feet to skitter back. She could see her life flashing before her eyes. The Ghouls let out a noise that sounded half way between a hiss and a groan, and Nat covered her face as if that would keep it from killing her. It lunged towards her, and she screamed, which was overpowered by a gunshot and the sensation of a thick liquid splattering over the younger Wright sister.

“Nat!” Nora practically slid onto her knees beside the teen, who looked like a deer in headlights when she lowered her arms. “Nat, oh my God, are you okay?!” The adult started looking her over frantically. “Did it bite you?! Does it hurt anywhere?! What happened to your face?!”

It took a good thirty seconds for Nat to realize she was still alive, but when she did she hugged Nora just a little too tight. Neither said again, but they did hold each other for a while. Then the teen let go, let out a breath, and laughed. Her face hurt, she could taste the blood that was most likely flowing from her nose, and she was covered in Feral blood. And it all happened in the span of, what? Ten minutes?

“That was fucking intense.” She stated.

“Natalie!”

“What? It was!”

Nora sighed, but smiled at her. “Yeah, it was.” She figured she should just be happy nobody was seriously hurt. Or killed. “You sure you’re okay?” Nat nodded, wiping some of the blood from her nose onto her sleeve. She was still breathing heavily from running.

“Sore, but yeah. I think so. Are you?”

“A few scratches, but that’s all. Maybe we should take a short break, you look like Cait after a cage match.” Nat raised an eyebrow. “Another friend of mine. Come on, there’s an old coffee shop we can stay in for a little while. Get you cleaned up and out of that jacket.”

Nora stood, and Nat followed suit. Dogmeat led the way, and the fourteen year old couldn’t help but lean against the vault dweller. She was suddenly exhausted, but she couldn’t fall asleep yet. They still had to find Piper. The moment they stepped into the shop, though, Nat found a booth, sat down, and placed her head on the table. Dogmeat sat by her feet and she gave him a light pat on the back.

Nora watched the scene play out, and it made her smile just a little bit more. Even in such a bleak and cruel world, nothing beat things like this. No fights, or monsters, or mutants. Just a little girl and her dog.  
Momentary bliss.

“Alright, kiddo.” She made her way over with a rag and a small bowl of water.

“Hmm?” Nat lifted her head, only to be assaulted by a wet rag cleaning off her face. “Eugh, Nora!” She whined.

The woman chuckled a little. “I’m just getting the worst of it.”

The teen continued her protest anyway.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Piper would never say she was ashamed of anything she had done before. Embarrassed and maybe a little humiliated, but never ashamed. She always believed you did what you had to do to get by, it didn’t matter what it was. As long as nobody got hurt, who cared. Of course, she’d never say she was proud of what she’s done, either. Mostly just indifferent.

This, however, she was ashamed of.

She didn’t know what she had expected when agreeing to Mayburn and his sick little fantasy. Maybe she thought if she went along she’d be able to make a run for it. After all, he’d have to open the cage if he wanted to do anything to her. But Mayburn wasn’t an idiot. He had one of his little raider buddies come in and tie her hands behind her back before pulling her out of the small prison, and just for good measure the bastard brought a gun with him.

“Encase you think of running. Or biting.” He told her.

“Never.” She spat back sarcastically.

He smiled. “That's why I like you, Piper. Always putting on a brave face.” He placed his hand on her cheek, but she turned her head. “Just like daddy.”

“Fuck you!”

Mayburn’s eyes darkened, and gave her one hard slap that effectively sent her to the floor. Her vision blurred for just a moment, and he knelt down beside her. “If you’d just lay there and take what’s coming, you’ll live longer, sweetheart.” The military man took a fistful of Piper’s hair and pulled her onto her knees. She let out a pained yelp in response. “Now, let’s put that mouth to good use.”

She scrunched her nose up and watched him undo his belt. Her heart started to pound in her chest, and the only thing keeping her from trying to run was the thought he might go after Nat. Well, that, and she wouldn’t be able to do much with her hands tied anyway. With his pants and underwear around his ankles, he took another handful of hair and shoved her face into his crotch. Her mouth opened slightly to gasp but it was all he needed to get his cock in her mouth. Piper nearly gagged when she felt it hit the back of her throat, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Mayburn didn’t seem to care, just put his other hand on the back of her head and held it in place while he pumped in and out of her mouth.

Piper was very tempted more than once to bite down full force, just to gain something out of the whole ordeal. But she was smart enough to know he’d put a bullet in her for that, and she had to live long enough to get out of there. Her jaw was already sore and the reporter did her best to put her thoughts elsewhere. To anything. But he kept jerking her head whenever he moved and it was keeping her grounded in reality.

He pulled out when he came, and Piper felt nothing but disgust when it landed on her face and chest. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath after almost choking. That was not the way she wanted to die.

Mayburn seemed pretty proud of himself, though. “Not so bad once you relax, is it?” Ha, if he thought she was relaxed he was fucking nuts. Her whole body felt tense.

“You’re a goddamn monster.” She huffed out.

“That’s just dramatic.” He chuckled in response. “You’ll learn to love it, sweetheart.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Mayburn didn’t answer. Instead he shoved her onto her back and moved himself between her legs, unceremoniously removing the woman’s panties. Piper clenched her fists when she felt his tip press against her opening. She didn’t look at him, she couldn’t. There were fifty things wrong with what was happening and the second he entered her she wanted to die. The reporter expected a quickie, but what she got was slow, and somehow more painful. Her nails were digging into her palms, and she shut her eyes tight just to try and escape into her own mind again. For whatever reason, Nora came to her thoughts.

She didn’t think Blue would be coming to save her, really, but the more she thought about the gun slinging pre-war relic, the easier it was to deal with her situation. Nora was always a comfort, even if she didn’t know it. Oh God, what would she think of Piper if she saw her like this? Defenseless and allowing herself to be assaulted. Blue would think she was pathetic.

Maybe she was.

“Oh fuck.” Mayburn’s voice broke through her thoughts,and she made the mistake of turning to look.

“W-Wait a second-” Piper whined.

“Don’t fucking ruin this…” He grunted, putting his hands around her neck to choke her as his pace quickened. The journalist struggled to get air after that, and she thought he was going to kill her. He stared at her in the eyes, and she could feel the tears spilling over. “This is what you get.” He muttered, leaning down so he was near her ear. “You deserve so much worse than this….” Mayburn gave her neck one last hard squeeze as he came, earning a choked out sob from Piper.

He just….

Inside her.

Oh shit.

He pulled out, and yanked up his pants as if nothing had happened. “Get up.” She didn’t want to. “Get the fuck up!” He took her by the arm and forced her to her feet. She shivered feeling hot cum slide down her legs. Disgusting. The military man spun her around and cut the binds of her hands. She could have grabbed his gun, but she didn’t. It wouldn’t end well and even if she killed Mayburn she didn’t know how many raiders were outside. Instead, she allowed him to shove her back into her prison. It felt much smaller than when she had been in it before. “Until next time, sweetheart.” He stated, turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

Piper once again pulled her knees close to her chest, doing her best to at least get the vile substance off her face with her terribly shaky hands. It was no use. She was dirty. She couldn't get clean like this.

She would always be dirty.

For the first time in years, Piper started to cry.


	4. Chapter 4

Nora was going to let Nat sleep. She didn’t know when the teen had settled herself into laying on the booth seat, but when Nora had checked she was already out cold. The woman didn’t blame her, they had gone through a lot of excitement, and walking around with a partner that was half asleep was probably a bad idea. So she searched the shop to see if there was any supplies, while Dogmeat got comfy on the floor and kept watch. She should probably be getting some sleep as well, but she wasn’t quite as tired and someone had to be awake.

The vault dweller sighed, making her way into the back room. This place used to be so lovely, just like everything else in the world. She liked to think she adapted to it pretty well, the aftermath of the bombs, but it seemed once she started coming to terms, something new popped up that made her question her sanity. If it wasn’t the giant insects, it was mutated wildlife. If it wasn’t wildlife it was a conspiracy that people were being replaced by robots, which wasn’t really a conspiracy so much as an accepted fact. If it wasn’t that, it was Deathclaws, and if it wasn’t that it was some other horrific thing. The Wasteland was a damn freak show.

That being said, there were a few diamonds in the rough.

Like Preston, and Codsworth, and all the other friends she had made in her short time there. All great people, in their own weird way. Mostly. If she had to pick one, though, it would be Piper. She had been Nora’s first friend in this hellhole, and they had traveled together ever since. The journalist had practically told Nora her life story over that time. From her father’s death to pretty much anything else, the woman was an open book. It was amazing, and also incredibly dangerous in the wrong situation. But she always made Nora smile with her little comments.

The woman sighed. She missed hearing Piper discover something with a little “Ooo, what do we have here”, or make a quip about the state of a building. Even with Nat and Dogmeat, it just wasn’t the same.

She didn’t know exactly when she started falling for Piper, but when it happened it happened fast. It was like she woke up, looked at her journalist and went ‘Yes. That’s who I want to love forever’, but she didn’t do anything about it. She never knew how to react when feelings for a woman came into play, because she grew up in a household that held her to a standard. Her parents wanted to have grand kids. She couldn’t do that if she was with a girl, apparently, so she married Nate and had Shaun. The perfect Nuclear Family.

Not that she hadn’t loved Nate. She had, for the first year or so into the marriage, but it didn’t feel right after a while. She never did anything about it back then, either. She didn’t want to disappoint her family, divorce just didn’t feel like an option. Then came Shaun, and she really couldn’t say anything. Everybody commented on how cute of a family they were, and Nora had just settled into her place and let things play out. If nobody knew, nobody would get upset.

But her parents were long dead, and so was Nate, and anyone else she knew that would judge her. Life was too short to beat around the bush anymore. Especially now. Once they got Piper she was going to tell her everything.

If she was even still alive.

No, she couldn’t think like that. Not yet.

Nora ran a hand through her hair and let out a breath. “We need a vacation…” She muttered, walking back out into the main part of the coffee shop. Nat was just starting to get up. Perfect timing. “Feeling better?” She asked, sliding into the seat across from the teen.

Nat let out a yawn as she stretched her arms. “My face still hurts….” She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “Oh shit, I fell asleep didn’t I?”

Nora almost scolded her for swearing again, but let out a chuckle instead. “Yeah. Just for a little bit, it’s still dark out.” She gestured at the window. Outside was pitch black. “We’ll have to wait until morning anyway, the Wasteland gets to be ten times more dangerous at night.”

“But what about-”

“Nat.” The vault dweller interrupted, leaning forward on the table a little. “I know you’re worried. I know you want to get Piper back, and I know you want to do it as fast as possible, but you need to listen to me. If we go out there now, we’re going to be sitting ducks. We can’t see, and the Pip-Boy’s flashlight would just draw unwanted attention. You need to trust me on this. If we go out there now, we will die, and nobody will save Piper.”

Nat opened her mouth to reply, then closed it and stared down at the table. She knew Nora was right, but waiting felt wrong. Worried was an understatement. “I know.” She muttered, putting her face in her hands. “I-I know. But the longer we sit here… They could….” She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know what they would do with Piper. If they hadn’t killed her. “W-What if it’s too late? What if… if she’s…”

“Nat-”

The fourteen year old sniffled. “The last thing I said to her was ‘I hate you’. She could be dead, and I t-told her I hated her.” Sure, she hadn’t really meant it, but what a terrible last memory to have of your family. She felt Nora change seats to sit beside her, and found herself being side hugged by the older woman. Out of instinct she buried her face into the vault dweller’s shirt.

“It’s alright, sweetie…” Nora hushed. “We’ll find her. Alive. I promise, it’ll be okay.”

Nat wasn’t entirely sure she believed that.  
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Piper refused to let herself fall asleep. She was mentally and emotionally drained, in one of, if not the most, vulnerable positions in her life, and she was not willing to add to that vulnerability by sleeping. Not that anyone would be coming to check on her for a while anyway, the day must have passed by now, it had to be, at the very least, nine PM. Or maybe not. She hadn’t really been paying attention to the time, and there weren’t any clocks or windows near her to check. It had been a while since she first got there, though, unless it just felt long.

Did it even matter?

She liked to think Blue was coming to save her, as if she was some kind of pre-war, blue suited, white knight, but it was more likely she’d die here. She didn’t really want to have to explain what happened anyway. How could she? Piper was a mess in every sense of the word, and if Blue found her like that she didn’t know what that would mean for them. What would the vault dweller think? Would they still be friends? Would Blue find it uncomfortable to be around her? What if she didn’t want to see her again?

Maybe Blue was glad she was gone, and she wasn’t coming at all. Maybe their whole friendship was a lie.

‘No, you idiot. Blue doesn’t know where you are. That’s all.’ She thought to herself. ‘But when she finds you, it’s over. She won’t talk to you after this, you’re a fucking disgrace. And Nat. What about Nat? She’s going to hate you. No. She already hates you, you’re fucking pathetic.’

“Shut up.” Piper muttered, moving to lay on her side only to curl back into a fetal position.

‘Look what you let happen to yourself. He’s right, you deserve this. You should have minded your own business. No, he would have killed everyone in the settlement. You could have just taken Nat and left, then you wouldn’t be in this mess. You did this to yourself. You risk your family’s life for nothing. No, not for nothing. This could be Nat. She could end up just like this because of you. Is that what you want? Is it?’

The reporter pursed her lips. There was a pit of guilt in her stomach, because she knew it was right. Nat had gotten in trouble for Piper’s paper (among other things) more than once. Of course, it was usually the Mayor, or Danny, or another guard, giving her a lecture, and not some pissed off punk. It still made Piper nervous sometimes. She loved Nat, even on the their worst days, and the thought of her baby sister ending up in any situation close to her own experiences was horrifying to her.

Truthfully, a small part of Piper was hoping Nat would get bored with the paper. When they started, the younger of the two was ecstatic. She couldn’t actually read what they were putting out at the time (Piper’s fault as well), but she was happy to be a part of it. Now she was talking about doing her own stuff. She had even asked Piper if she could write something. And Piper, being the best big sister ever, said; “Absolutely not.”. Which was met with “You never let me do anything!”. Which turned into a fight. Which turned into the silent treatment for about a day before they were back on good terms. Nat hadn’t asked again, and as she thought over the argument, it made the reporter feel even more guilty. It wasn’t like Nat would be writing the same kind of thing she was. She wouldn’t be exposing bandits and corrupt politicians. Not yet.

Maybe, if she lived through this, she’d let Nat print something. It would be a fun thing they could do together. They never spent time together anymore. Which was also Piper’s fault.

Would Nat even want to?

Hopefully the teen would at least humour her.

Piper let out a yawn, she was running out of things to keep her mind busy, and couldn’t bring herself to get up. She was starving and thirsty, with no energy to speak of. They’d have to bring her food and water eventually, though. All she had to do was survive until then. Sleep won out, even if it was broken up between paranoia-induced nightmares.  
\-------------------------------------------  
The trio set out as soon as the sun was up. Dogmeat was quick in picking up the scent, and was already a few feet ahead of the girls. Nat, now fully energized after a decent sleep and some food, was walking slightly faster than Nora to try and keep up with the hound. Nora trailed behind and kept an eye out for anymore Ghouls, or Super Mutants, or whatever terrifying creature the world wanted to scar her with next. When they made it to a more suburban area of the city, she turned her Pip-Boy to Diamond City Radio, just so it wouldn’t seem so quiet. This would have felt like a nice walk if they weren’t hunting down a missing person.

“Hey, Nora! Look what I found!” The vault dweller jumped a little at Nat’s yelling. She glanced up to see the teen pulling a gun off a dead body. “Isn’t this cool?” She held the gun out with both hands, pointing it in every direction.

Clearly, she had never held a gun before.

“Jesus, Nat!” The woman rushed over and snatched the pistol from the girl’s hands. “You can’t wave this thing around like that! You don’t know if it’s loaded, you could hurt yourself!” Or her.

The teen backed away a little. “Sorry. But don’t you think I should have one? Y’know, since I lost my knife.”

Nora gave a frustrated sigh. She knew Nat was right, to an extent, but giving a gun to someone so young just felt wrong. “I don’t… You can’t… I-Ugh…” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. I mean, yes, you should have some kind of protection but… a gun?”

“Unless you want me to go hand to hand with some armed raiders.” She emphasized her point by throwing a few weak punches at the air.

“Smartass…” She looked it over, then gave another sigh. “Fine. Okay, you can use the gun.” Nat grinned. “But never, NEVER, wave it around like that. Don’t put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to fire, and for the love of God don’t point it at me, or yourself.” It was Nora’s turn to search the body. She found a few loose bullets and handed them, as well as the gun, to Nat, who gave a satisfied smile.

Dogmeat’s barking got their attention, and as they approached the dog Nora crouched into a sneaking position and turned the radio off. The dog whined, staying low to the ground as well. What they saw was a house, with three raiders standing guard outside talking shit to each other. Dogmeat sniffed the ground, looked back at the house, then let another, more desperate sounding, whine. Nora pulled Nat down so the two would be eye level.

“Looks like we found where they took Piper…” She stated quietly.

“What’s the plan?” Nat asked, just as quiet.

Nora thought for a moment. “I don’t really want to encourage this but…” She turned her gaze to the girl beside her. “Think you can handle firing that gun?”


End file.
